Lafou's Secret
by BornWolfgirl
Summary: Lafou is hiding something. And it's something big. Will Gaston ever figure it out or will Lafou find he courage to tell him. Follow one mans struggle to overcome fear and finally accept himself. Gaston/Lafou Slash because there's not nearly enough of them. Maybe mpreg? Let me know. I'm halfway done.
1. Part 1

Disclaimer: I own naught but the plot. The rest belongs to Disney.

A.N: Reviews are wonderful things. Tell me what you think. Good or bad they help me improve.

LaFou was many things.

Positive.

A loyal friend to a fault almost.

Idealistic without losing sight of reality.

Brave for the principles he set for himself.

Negative.

Secretive.

Insecure.

And most important a liar.

But a fool he was not.

He had grown up knowing many truths about the world that did not bode well for those like him. So he kept his secret close and was careful about everything he said and did.  
Not even those closest to him knew his deepest secret.

Not his parents.

Not his siblings.

And especially not HIM.

This secret about himself he would take to his grave.

What was this secret you may ask?

That is what the whole story is about, and it's a long one.

There was a certain social standing everyone fell into. And if you were lucky you landed somewhere in the middle. If not, you may land somewhere at the top where everything in your life is determined for you and your well being is assured for life. Freedom is an allusion shrouded in power and pride that few from within recognize until they are lucky to face a situation to look from outside its influence. Those in the middle were the lucky ones. Able to live their lives by choice and effort reworded or punished by merits. The last fell to the opposite spectrum. They lived relatively short lives at the will of the world around them. They are regulated to positions of service that no one else wants. They are the servants, slaves and even paupers of the world who struggle from the moment their feet hit the floor till their heads hit the pillow.

What regulates you to those positions?

Is it your birth to that station?

No.

Is it your gender?

No, but it does have some effect of course.

Is it how you look?

A little but no.

It was your Nature as they call it.

Most certainly and here's why.

There were three categories in society.

Alphas, Beta/Neutrals, and Omegas.

It was the Alphas and Omegas that rose to the top or fell to the bottom and the Betas allowed to live freely. Alphas and Omegas who were of normal acceptable orientation (Alpha male and Omega female) they were revered and pampered. But by no fault or failings you were found to be of the opposite (Alpha female or Omega male) then you would find yourself subjugated by a cruel world too set in their ways to ever change without that something being drastic to the point of earth-shattering.

Can you now guess what Lafou was?

If anyone ever found out he was anything other than a neutral. Well, fate was cruel.

Lafou was careful though.

And incredibly lucky.

Lucky that his parents never found out and thus the rest of the world. Lucky that for some reason he was a late bloomer and somehow escaped first detections.

At the age of twelve, every child is subjected to the test. It is a rather simple test but one that would determine your future for good or bad. If you were tested to be an alpha or omega, then another test implemented to test orientation. That one was said to be more uncomfortable and humiliating but it was done to all alphas and omegas. Lafou was the middle child of eight and came from a long like of mostly naturals. There was a hand full of alphas and few omegas in other branches of the family but for the most part, they were known for being a family of respectable if dull farm folk neutral as they come. They had been proud when his older sister Sylvia, their third child and second daughter had tested as omega. There was immense relief that her life would be of ease once she was betrothed and handed over to her husband's family for training for her new position. His sister had been delighted. The day after her reveal a representative from the noble families approached them and after asking a lot of questions and taking a lot of measurements and doing multiple tests, they then left without a further word. A little more than a week passed before the representative returned with a matronly woman who claimed a match had been made and the price of her tuition at the omega training academy paid. All their parents needed to do was sight the contract.

As their parents and the matchmaker talked about Sylvia's future, she had confided in Lafou that she was indeed a little afraid but excited none the less. She believed firmly she would move on to live like a princess among the elite. Lafou had loved his sister who had been just two years older than him, and along with his year younger brother Davy, they had been the ones he was closest to among his siblings growing up. Lafou wasn't so sure about the whole thing but he managed to express that he was happy for her, if sad to see her go. It took three days of the representatives coming and talking with their parent before a final deal was struck and Sylvia's fate was sealed. After much crying and promises to write by all around, Sylvia and her few worldly possessions were quickly loaded into a fancy looking carriage and then she was disappearing around a bend. Never to be seen again. A few letters pass between her and the family until one day they stopped. Lafou roused one night to fetch some water for a drink and found his mother alone by the fire, clutching a crumpled letter to her chest and sobbing quietly to herself. His father was standing at the doorway looking to the north. Looking stunned and vulnerable as he leaned against the weathered doorframe. For the first time, Lafou could remember, his father, who wasn't the most imposing man being somewhat stout with a strong straight back and warm twinkling eyes(Lafou took after him the most), appeared broken down and lost. The twinkle he would learn later gone forever. The next day everything was back to simi-normal but from then on no one mentioned the lost daughter and sister. But occasionally you would see one of the siblings looking wonderingly towards the north. One of their numbers was missing and they all felt the loss deeply.

As the following years passed leading up to his own testing approached Lafou began to feel more and more dread. Fearing a similar fate as his beloved sister. He had always suspected something odd about himself and it was something his siblings seem to pick up on as well. From a very young age was too quiet and presumed to be even more dim than normal. He had never been as rambunctious as his other sibling, never feeling the need to act out to get attention. If he wanted attention he would crawl into his maman's or Papa's lap and that was that. In school, other kids noted his shyness and presumed he was a coward to boot and thus an easy target for bullies. That didn't last long.

He acquired a guardian in the only one who ever stood up for him and that was all it took for his loyalty to be set in stone. His savior was a loud obnoxious boy that even other bullies steered cleared of due to his proud proclamations and aggressive behavior. His father was an alpha born and raised in Australia where the mateship was more about true attraction and not so much on pairing compatible Orientation. He in his later years his family moved back to France and he eventually made a name for himself as a mercenary, despite attempts made to pigeonhole him into the normal roles of alphas who work in politics or business. It had been a society scandal that was picked up by several pages when he retired and settled down with a Beta Orient in a small country village. But it apparently was love and they produced three children. The third, however, came later in life and was too much for the beta to bare at that time and she, unfortunately, passed from complications in birth. It broke something in the proud Alpha who seemed to never recover completely. His children were known to be wild and rambunctious. Running rough shot over their father who appeared to spoil them, and a town too use to never questioning alphas to say anything against it. It was no different in school. Their teachers managed to only gain a minimum control over them but declare that despite their unruly behavior they were all surprisingly smart and able to pass al their school work.

The youngest of the three, Gaston, and Lafou met when they were seven and eight. It was a warm fall afternoon during a church picnic, and Lafou had tried to follow some of his older siblings off to play but got cornered instead by some of the bullies from school. Gaston had seemed oblivious to what was going on until then. He was a year older then the small mousy boy and concerned only for his own group of friends. He had finally managed to escape his much older siblings and wandered off to find some of said friends. He came across the group of boys beating on a smaller boy half their size and without thinking something aggressive within him that never quite calmed awoke at the sight and soon the boys were running away crying with sprained wrists and a broken noses. As quickly as the rage rose it settled leaving Gaston feeling pleased and relaxed.

"Wow!" A quiet voice whispered behind him and Gaston swung around in surprise having forgotten about the smaller boy on the ground. Large baby blue orbs gazed up in awe at him for a moment before the smaller boy scrambled to his feet and excitedly grabbed his hand shaking it wildly. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank You! That was so awesome!" The praises continued for several minutes more, stroking the older boys ego, and he found himself almost preening.

"I like you. What's you're name?" He finally admitted when the chatter finally stopped. It was then that Lafou's gratitude turned to admiration. " From that day forward they were friends for life and the rest, as they say, was history.

When Lafou's time came for his test he was terrified. But Gaston was there for him. He had without fail tested as alpha and was slated to be sent for training then mate-matching when his father protested and declared that like all those of his line before him, his son would not be turned into a soft pampered noble but become a solder of strength and dignity. He won the fight and Gaston stayed among his peers until old enough to join the army in a few years. Again, it was a scandal and the gossip of the town for a long time, but none dared protest having an alpha among the… normal children.

When at last it was Lafou's turn to be tested, it seemed to go on forever. There were times he thought the worse when they would look at him and frown but, in the end, it was determined he was just like his parents. A neutral with unusual signs of something else but none of the testers knew what. He was safe.

And he was... Until he turned fifteen and something unusual happened. It was a terrifying time. About a month after Gaston finally left to join the army. He was already feeling depressed and alone. It seemed that what few friends he thought he had made with Gaston over the years dropped off quickly after he left for the army. It was sad but Lafou wasn't surprised really. He always suspected he was only tolerated because he was Gaston's favorite. He took to wandering the woods to be away from the looks varying forms of pity to annoyance to downright disgust when people thought he wasn't paying attention. Then one day he felt even worse than normal. The heavy depressed feeling seemed unbearable and he just felt the urge to get away from everyone. He was pretty sure he was just getting sick and perhaps even running a fever. So instead of burdening everyone else around him and perhaps getting them sick, he woke early before his family, got his chores done quickly and left a note telling them he would be going hunting for a few days and not to worry. He wasn't a very good hunter but he occasionally brought meat home and it was always a treat his family appreciated.

He headed for the cabin that belonged to Gaston's family. They knew he often visited to feel closer to his friend's memory and he was privy to carry the key. He arrived in around noon, feeling washed out and rung dry. Sweat poured off him and all he wanted to do was strip and jump into the crick… if he didn't feel like dying first. He managed to pour half the water from the rain barrel down himself before collapsing on the cot within.

That was a mistake.

When he next woke he felt near frozen. The sun was just touching the horizon and he was shaking as he hastily gathered enough wood for a fire. He knew he was sick then and the few provisions he brought wouldn't last long, though he doubted he could keep anything down at that point. Once he stripped out of the still damp clothes, he gathered all the blankets and pillows he could find and made a nest before the flames before passing out once more.

The next time he was roused by the sound of heavy breathing and moaning. In his still hazy mind he knows it is him and that he feels strange. His limbs feel heavy but at the same time, he feels oddly empty. As he swims closer to wakefulness, he's aware of a tingling sensation and an odd itchiness in his behind that's growing more uncomfortable by the second. The second thing he becomes aware of oddly is that despite his wretchedness his morning wood is awake as well and demanding its attention. Absently mindedly he reaches back to take care of the itchiness and nearly levitates out of the bed when his hand touches something slick and sticky. Well, you can imagine what he initially thought... Blood.

By now the fire is but dim ambers and he can't see much of anything in the darkness that now fills the room. He still manages to stumble his way outside in the dark, despite shaking with cold, and is glad for the nearly full moon that makes it easier to see by. He reaches the crick in record time and kneels to first clean his hands. It is then he sees that his hand isn't covered in blood at all. What he was expecting and what he finds are two entirely different things. Drying slowly on his hands is something clear and slippery like slime but a lot less viscous. For a long moment, Lafou could only stare in panicked confusion. Then in a jerky movement, he washes it off and reaches down between his legs to swipe once more. This time he nearly passes out as a feeling of immense pleasure zings through his bloodstream at the caress of his fingers over an overly sensitive (and obviously swollen) pucker. He then actually feels more of the strange substance leek from the enflamed orifice and jerks his hand away in a panic. He then becomes painfully aware of what is truly wrong as the arousal in his body becomes overwhelming and his mind fogs with lust. Omega, Heat, FUCK!… Oh God! His mind provides as his hand creeps back without mental direction once more and soon he is keening into the dark as the pleasure overtakes him at the press of his own fingers for the first time. When he finally comes back to himself sometime later, he is kneeling in the dirt, ass raised in the air like a bitch in heat.

He is horrified by what just happened and nearly scurries back to the cabin on all fours. An undeniable instinct telling him he needs to stay low to the ground. It was actually a little disorienting to try and get on two feet for more than a few moments. He, finally, reaches the cabin in a little more time than it normally takes and gets safely inside. Barring the door firmly from within and backing away. He can feel another wave of heat building and dreads what comes next as his entrance below spasms in preparation. How long would this last he wonders an hour later as he splashes water on himself from the bucket he had managed to go out and fill between waves. He is gulping as much as his belly will hold and praying it is soon. He isn't hungry but from past lessons from school, he knew that food itself would be far at the bottom of his needs until this was over. He knew that often for the month before this that an omega would eat excessively and put on a good stone or two in preparation for not eating during Heat which could last anywhere from three to seven days. For females that is. Male omegas where so rare that the information on them was slim to none. Settling back before the fire in his nest he resigned himself to his fate, as both hands already busy working him through his next heatwave.

As it turned out his first heat only lasted a little over a day but subsequent heats would last three to five day with the last day mild enough he could act normal but he knew that he really wanted to remain unnoticed then he would have to do something about his scent. He knew after his first heat his scent would forever be changed and as a male omega his fate wouldn't be to be pampered for the rest of his life. He would never be married off to someone he never met but to drop in status to a fate worse than death. Those like him had almost no rights in this world. Viewed as unnatural, they were often the servants and slaves of the nobles. Curiosities and playthings for the elite who weren't satisfied with the matches made. Heat pheromones could make you fuck anything, but it couldn't make you love them. Lafou dreaded facing such a fate. His dream was to follow Gaston into the army in a few months when he turned sixteen. He wasn't physically fit person to be a solder, but he was smart and could write. I hoped to get a position as a scribe or clerk. The news was that Gaston would be rising fast through the ranks and hopefully, by the time he got there and trained, Gaston would be the leader of his own regiment and Lafou could be his right-hand man. After all Gaston always hated paperwork of any kind. It was always a struggle to get him just to do his homework. He always tried to bribe Lafuo to do it but that only worked a few times before the teachers caught on and put a stop to it.

That first day of clarity had Lafou in a mental and physical whirl. Physically he worked to erase all signs of his heat from the cabin and himself. Mentally, he worked on a plan for the future. He knew he only had one course of action by the end of his third day and it was his only hope. He would go into the army no doubt about that but he would need help covering his scent and managing his heats if that was even possible. There was only one person he could confide in about this. The wood witch Agathe. She was someone many in the village went to in order to deal with… distasteful ailments they wouldn't dare take to a doctor of respectable character. Besides anything dealing with alpha and omega issues were always reported to the council as the law dictated. Agathe followed her own set of rules. If he went to the town doctor he would be revealed before he left the doctor's office. He would be detained until a council member could be summoned for him. He would never see his friends and family, let alone Gaston again. They would all forsaken and revile him anyway.

The decision made, he spent the next few days actually hunting as he promised. He was able to catch a respectable number of rabbits and squirrels for the family table. The night before he left he even managed to tree a fat raccoon, wasting only two bullets in the attempt.

As betas none in his family could scent the change in himself but he dare not linger too long and attract unwanted attention. His family was delighted with the catch and by the next morning of his return, he was heading back into the woods to search out Agathe. It took him almost a week but by chance, he entered a clearing where she appeared to be collecting some roots of a gnarled tree.

"I haven't seen one of you in a while. Or should I say smell." She voices without even turning around.

"Wha-What?"

"Your kind don't normally last this long free. But occasionally one of you blooms late and show up before me. Let me guess…" She finally stands with her basket full of odd bark and twisted roots to face a stunned Lafou. "You want a way to hide what you are?"

"How do you know what I am?"

"I'm an alpha, of course, I could smell you a mile away. You just went through your first heat, didn't you? Kind of scary that first time. Isn't it? Especially since you probably didn't know it was coming." She chuckles and pats his shoulder as she passes. "Whew, you're fertile. If I was a little younger and unmated, I may be tempted."

"You're mated?"

"Of course. Are you coming or stand there catching flies?" The odd woman demands as he heads down an obscure path. Lafou jumps and scurries to follow. "My mate use to be one of the elites in training in the city. I found her beaten and abandoned in the woods one day and the rest is as they say history. We've been together for almost five years now. Five wonderous years. I never thought I'd find one such as her for myself. I've been alone for a long time. She fears most people these days and stays out of sight when I have visitors but perhaps, she would be willing to meet with you. You would understand each other better than most I wager." Agathe then laps into her customary silence but Lafou's mind is reeling. With the revelation. Agathe was an Alpha our living among the norms whom no one had managed to force into servanthood or prostitution. He was amazed at such an accomplishment and it gave him hope that she would be able to help him too. From the sounds of it he wasn't the first to come to here for this reason and he felt a bit more optimistic about his own future. They finally reached her cabin buried deep in the woods. In the last few days he had visited regularly but always to find it seemingly empty. "Sorry if you have been trying to contact me here. For the past few days, I have been having to work harder to gather enough provisions for Silvia's feast week… Now if you'll sit down for a moment I'll see if I can coax her out. Silvia my dear!" Lafou was in shock. It just couldn't be. It couldn't be who he thought. I couldn't be her after all this time."

"Lafou? What are you doing here?" A soft bell-like voice drifts down from above and Lafou freezes.

After second more the sound of hesitant footsteps come closer and Lafou jumps to his feet, spinning to face the approaching phantom on the stairs. A phantom he hadn't seen in eight years. His omega sister.

"Silvy!?" He exclaims, rushing forward to embrace the near waif of a woman. Feeling her stiffen and start to shake he quickly remembers what Agathe had said and let's go. Backing away and thrusting his hands behind his back. "Sorry! Sorry!" He mutters looking down at his shoes, shamefaced red. For several moments there is deep breathing and then a delicate hand is lifting his face to meet large pale ash gray orbs. Orbs the same shade as his own.

"I'm all right. That was a long time ago and I'm trying to overcome those lingering fears. I should be the one apologizing?" She murmurs in that same soft voice.

"What for?" Lafou gasps and grasps his sister's frail hand in his. "I am the one who jumped at you…"

"I'm don't care about that. I should have tried to contact you a long time ago, but the fear of discovery was just too much until now. If you hadn't come, I would have at least sent a letter to the family telling them of what transpired and that I am at least alive and happy where I am."

"That is brilliant to know, Silvy. I've always wondered what happened to you. You were so excited about your new life and for a while, you kept up a correspondence. It broke momma's heart when they suddenly stopped. We weren't informed of your death so we assumed you were okay."

"You are right. Please sit it's a long story/"

"I'll fetch some tea, love." Agathe voiced from the kitchen area.

"Thank you!" Silvia called back in a voice that was normal for others but loud for here. "I was thrilled to have been offered the opportunity to go to the city and live among the elite but when it came time for my second testing well… it didn't go well. I didn't respond to how they wanted and thus the contract was broken. I was fifteen when they handed me over to a brothel. For a year I stayed there before I managed to run away. I was heading for home, and hoped momma and papa would at least hear me out and give me a safe place to rest and recuperate. I wasn't certain of the reception I would get for one such as myself but I had to at least try. I was almost there when my compromised state caught up with me and I collapsed.

When I woke I was warm and for the first time in a long time comfortable in my own skin. I was still injured and ill from my travels but safe. It took me a long time to heal even with Aggie's miraculous ways. I'll never be quite a hundred percent again. My voice suffered irreparable damage as you notice, and I tend to a have weaker constitutions then before. I get sick quite often and my heats well, while before I could handle going through one alone now it is most impossibly uncomfortable to do so. The first time I tried after getting free and the pain almost killed me. Luckily Aggie was there and though at the time we weren't mated yet she somehow managed to suppress her own urges and help me deal with mine. How could I not fall in love with someone like that. She saved me." Lafou's ears felt hot by this point and Silvia's tone had taken decided amused quality. She had always been like that though in her youth. Always saying daring things to people to see their reactions then laughing at them one they were out of earshot. Many times he would be with her when she'd break down and he'd get the second-hand story of what she had done. It warmed his heart to hear here still able to behave in such a way.

"Don't mine her, boyo. She's feeling more like her old self these days with her time of the year approaching." This time it was Silvia's turn to blush and hide a shy smile behind the cup her beloved hands to here with a peck to the forehead.

"It's funny." She whispers. "I already feel comfortable around him. It's like no time has passed at all."

"There's a good reason for that, dear one. He's like you after all."

"What!?" Silvia's voice creaked on a high note at her exclamation. "It can't be. You must be joking!"

"I am not. Ask him yourself. Why else would he be here?" Agathe gestured with her mug of steaming tea before handing it to Lafou. "Drink all of that. Slowly. It is hot."

"Lafou?" Lafou gulped in nervousness.

"I-It is true, Silvia. I had my first heat this past week. I was lucky enough to be out on a hunting trip when it happened and came looking for Agathe when I've had time."

"Where's Gaston? You two were always inseparable."

"He left for the army a little over a month ago. I was alone."

"That would do it." Agathe breaths in the aroma of her tea before taking a small sip, raising an eyebrow towards Lafou who hasn't sample her brew yet. "The lost of a compatible mate can throw an omega into a heat. It can work both ways though and probably the cause for why you didn't present when you should. In his presence, his natural pheromones would have tempered your omega ones. You had found a compatible mate so you had no reason to go into heat and attract a mate. It is often the reason why young female omegas are matched so young. They are immersed in a world surrounded by other omegas and potential alpha mates. Usually, the first heat only happens after the omega is first bred when she is at an appropriate age. Then within the year of first copulation and no conception made the omega is thrown into a fertile heat period in order to increase the odds of producing a child. However, secondary orientation is usually discernable much earlier by testing responses to certain stimuli. If you are not compatible with the appropriate sex then no such heat will occur and no children at all. In other words, you have a useless omega who cannot produce heirs to prominent families. Silvia is one such omega. Her body will not respond or produce a child with a male alpha, but she still feels the urge to procreate and I as an alpha female have the ability to satisfy her physically even though of course no children would normally come of it."

"Normally?

"I am not called a witch for nothing. There are things I can do, though difficult and time-consuming, that would result in the mate baring offspring of my bloodline as well." She sounded so clinical and matter of fact that it was almost believable as an of course that two women could produce a child. Lafou didn't want to know any more on the subject.

"What does that mean for me."

"You're a male omega. Nature in its twisted sense of humor has seen fit to equip you with similar tools as a female to bear children but only able to conceive when in heat. Do you know the signs of an oncoming heat?" Lafou shrugs he knew the bare basics and was sure Agathe was about to add a who lot more. "A true heat comes regularly once a year. At first, your appetite increases in the week or so before." Agathe pulls an apple from the basket at her side and hands it to Silvia who promptly takes a big bite. "Then your body temperature begins to slowly rise a few degrees and you'll feel the need to wear warmer clothes. You'll have an irrepressible urge to find somewhere secluded away from everyone but your mate. About a day before it hits your appetite will be all but gone and your other bodily functions slow to a stop. Did you not notice that during your heat though you drank a lot you did not pee and number too disappeared as well." Lafou got a bewildered but thoughtful look on his face. Trying to remember back to that time without luck recalling what happened concerning his bowel movements. He simply couldn't though. "Don't worry too much about it."

"Why did I go into heat at all though."

"Weren't you paying attention. You lost your potential mate and now you're calling for a new one."

"B-but I don't w-want a new m-mate."

"Then you already know what you have to do. Don't you." Lafou was still confused.

"You have a year. Go after him. Don't let yourselves be separated. While together in close proximity again your heat should go dormant again until you decide to reveal yourself to him and become sexually active. If you should do so with any other than him then all bets are off."

"What if I try to lay with a woman."

"Ha! Good luck with that. You'll find it impossible to perform to anyone's satisfaction."

"What about my scent? Won't that have changed now as well."

"You'll change physically as well but that can be concealed with proper clothing. As for your scent, you're doing it now. This tea is a common enough brew you can find in any capacitary. A cup a day should suffice. Many alphas and omegas use it between heats to minimalize temptations of others or hide the evidence of their secret Rendezvous. As you are well away from the matching the elite practice rarely results in any true feelings for the one, they are stuck with. Many find mateship outside of the marriage bed. As long as no children are producing, and discretion used then a blind eye is turned to all the infidelity running rampant among the elite. The matching done is to ensure only Alpha males and omega females remain at the head of all the most powerful and elite families. The omegas and alphas of the lower class are brought in so that inbreeding is kept to almost nonexistence. Low born alpha males are usually sent to higher learning in business or law, and low born omegas like your sister sent to a special school for higher learning for how to be a proper member of the elite. They are usually matched with second and third sons or widows in the case of the alpha males. The children of those matches are paired with firstborn heirs and lords." Lafou was aware of most of that already and now felt much happier about his future. He would indeed be able to carry out his dream of becoming a clerk for Gaston and stand beside him on the battlefield. Watching out for his best friend and ensuring his every command be heeded. He now had a better idea of how his heats would work in the future and felt confident he could manage them in the future.

After that, the visit with Agathe and his sister turned to other matters, as the two siblings caught up. By nightfall, they felt closer than ever and Lafou traveled back home with a spring in his step and a whistled toon on his lips. Over the next year, he would visit his sister often but when the time came a year later, Lafou allowed himself to suffer through one more heat before setting out on his journey to reunite with his long-time friend. Even mentally he dares not call him mate. He dares not let hope and yearning to take root. It wouldn't do to let such dreams get in the way of him living his life. Someday, a long time down the road he may allow himself to find a true mate but until then, Gaston would make a perfect, if unaware fill in. Indeed, the future was looking bright and Lafou was looking forward to it.


	2. Part 2

War was hell. War was worse than hell. There were no innocent by standards to be hurt and killed in hell but war was full of them.

War wasn't what Lafou was expecting. His time in the army was the worst… and the best time of his life.

Why?

He was lucky he supposed. He had arrived at the training camp and quickly began to fear he wouldn't be able to reconnect with Gaston. The army was big and he was small. As a male omega his physiology would only ever match up to that of even the weakest Beta (which was what he was trying to pass as anyway) and he struggled to accomplish even the minimum of what they wanted from a soldier. After the first six months they were ready to kick him out but though he physically was subpar his testing on paper singled him out for more than being a foot soldier. For the first time in his life, he was considered too smart. So instead of being able to fight side by side with his friend as he had always dreamed, he was transferred into training to become a company clerk. That was a gift in disguise that he didn't even realize until he was ready to be assigned to a unit.

Perhaps it was fate, perhaps it was a coincidence but it had to be something special that had Lafou walking into his commanding officer's office while he was reading a certain report from the front, and encountered him starting to curse a blue streak that left poor Lafou pale and frozen at the door, uncertain to continue or flee.

The report was from a unit with a new young hot-headed commander in charge that while brilliant at leading a charge was pants at following everyday protocol or listening to their clerk tell them how to follow it. He had already in his short tenure gone through five clerks who would last only a few weeks under his command before requesting transfer. They were running out of willing clerks to work with him. His reputation proceeded him and most new recruits would hear about him and refuse to be placed there, fearing that they lacked the experience to handle him. They weren't wrong. The latest placement was a veteran and though he lasted twice as long as any others it was apparent that even he had his limits.

When Lafou heard his Commander cursing about a certain Lieutenant Colonel LeGume… Well, it wasn't long before he was surprising his long time friend in the flesh.

The reunion was bittersweet, just as Lafou expected. He had arrived while Gaston was away and was instead greeted by the soon to be ex-clerk and was barely allowed the time to drop his stuff off in his new quarters before being led like a lamb to slaughter to the office tent he would soon be in charge of running. Despite the obvious attempts by the veteran clerk to make some sense of the mess left over from previous clerks, the tent was still in amazing disarray. The old clerk barely stayed an hour more to bring him up to speed before making his own escape. Lafou was exhausted and had had a long journey from the capital. His clothes were sweat-soaked and covered in road dust, but one look at the mess that awaited him had Lafou sighing and rolling up his sleeve. Thoughts of food and rest were pushed down his priority list until he got an idea of what would need to be done to get a handle of the mess. The officer in charge, while the Colonel was away, was willing enough to let him have free rain and even brought him something to eat or lunch and dinner with a dark coffee that tasted like thick dirt but fortified him enough to at least finish with that day's daily duties and make a dent in organizing the papers. It was late by the time he conceded to being ordered to bed but he rolled out of bed early the next day to continue. It took three days for him to finally manage to at least create some order to the chaos and he finished with mere hours until Gaston was set to return.

He waited for Gaston's return with such a mix of anxiety and excitement that he was too nauseous to eat lunch. To say the least, to see Gaston shocked speechless when he walked into the office tent to find him of all people waiting will be a memory Lafou will treasure for the rest of his days. Lafou was convinced that if the enemy didn't know their exact position before then they did when with a howl of joy the alpha swept his old friend clean off the ground and swung him around a few times while laughing uproariously.

What followed were hours of catching up and explanations about everything that had happened since they last saw each other. Lafou was under no illusion that Gaston would treat him any differently than his previous clerks but he was certain that he knew enough about Gaston to work with and around him to get things done and keep the regiment running smoothly. Gaston wasn't aware but if he had run off one more clerk then he would have found himself busted back down a rank or two. The Commander was that frustrated with Gaston's antics. He was respected for his battle prowess but a war can't be won on that alone.

For the next seven years, they worked side by side, and Lafou successfully managed to hide his secret. Once a year he'd plan around allowing his body one heat. Skipping out on most short time R&R leaves so when he did ask for a two-week-long break once a year often it was granted without too many questions from the higher-ups. He'd put on the act of any other normal beta male and claimed to go searching for female company when the other men in the company razzed him about his work ethic while they often took ample advantage of their short time R&Rs for one night stands with working girls. In reality, he would simply disappear to a pre-scouted secluded location whether it was to camp in a cave, or breaking into an abandoned farmhouse. Once when a thunderstorm unexpectedly rolled in before he could reach his destination he had managed to find someone's hunting cabin like the one he'd first had a heat in. It was difficult but he learned from another omega in hiding(Agathe was a god sent. She had introduced them shortly before he left for the army) that it was wise to allow one heat a year to maintain a healthy internal cycle. Usually, it took only a week or so away from Gaston before his body started to send out signals for a new alpha to find him and heat would come on. It would usually only last a few days but he was always careful to seek shelter far from a chance of any lone alpha actually finding him. He would then return feeling physically and emotionally wrung out but relaxed like a pressure valve had been released.

For several days after his heat breaks, Gaston would run him ragged as though to punish him. It was in these moments though that he would convince himself that there must be something there or else why else would Gaston behave that way.

The company was always excited to see him return. Apparently Gaston was insufferable during the lengthy period away. For those first few years, Gaston would try hard to convince him out of going or try to go with. As an omega Lafou was flattered and pleased his chosen alpha wanted to be with him but he knew that this was not the time or place for anything to happen… yet.  
He wasn't even certain if Gaston would be interested in someone like him. Whenever they passed an occupied village with a pub/tavern, the men of the regiment who were free and able would take the time to indulge in some revelry. Gaston undoubtedly would be leading the pack and take ample advantage of whatever hospitality he could find. Lafou only followed once willingly before finding whatever excuse he could think up to get out of it thereafter. It didn't always work but he found it difficult to stomach watching women fall over themselves for what he saw as his alpha's attention. Which Gaston seemed happy to supply. He did notice though that on the rare occasion that he was convinced to go that if anyone paid him friendly attention he had to make sure it was out of Gaston's view or there would be some drama. Gaston would undoubtedly see the unfortunate girl (and occasionally a guy) who took his attention away from him and find some way to make the girl cry and run away or pick a fight with the guy.

Only once did he allow himself to accept intimacy from a stranger. On the way back from one of his heat sessions, he found himself delayed at a tavern when his horse threw a shoe. The local smith had to finish another project first, so he decided to visit the local tavern and get a proper meal before continuing his journey. He soon learned that local patrons of the tavern were a friendly bunch and many were already deep in their cups. He quickly found himself drawn into their boisterous antic and having a great time. He almost never got to behave this openly among his friends in the unit and unless Gaston instigated, few were brave enough to take Lafou's attention away from the commanding officer for too long. Needless to say, Lafou was reluctant to continue his journey that day. He didn't often have the chance or time to indulge in some real fun without Gaston there over his shoulder, so he was surprised by the acceptance and inclusion he was experiencing.

The thoughts of Gaston however didn't inspire any positive feeling though. Lafou was rather sore with the alpha at that time. The night he had left for his heat break, Gaston wasn't there to see him off as he normally did, but was holed up at a local tavern having some fun with some local girl in the barn. He knew that only due to some drunk soldiers returning from the said tavern and spouting their envy and admiration at their leaders' dalliances. He was frustrated, feeling sorry for himself and perhaps a little lonely as well he could admit to himself. Wondering why he even continued to try. Gaston clearly preferred the company of the fairer sex and he was far from being like any of the girls he favored physically or personality-wise. He was well into his second tankard of ale and very much feeling the effects of the alcohol due to his low tolerance omega constitution. He was feeling well enough to start cracking jokes withe some of those drinking around him and before he knew it found himself singing some of the raunchiest ditties he knew to a cheering crowd. As the night waned so did his well-honed self-discipline. Lascivious looks and intimate touches were exchanged between him and a few of the friendlier males enjoying his flirtatious performance. He had never felt freer than he did that night and he was letting it all go like he had never allowed himself before. Around midnight or so, he came back to himself long enough to realize he would not be making it back on time the next day and Gaston would be very angry with him. He was panicked for a moment then remembered why he was drinking anyway and pushed all thoughts of his insensitive alpha away. He was finally having some fun for once and he was unclaimed by any alpha. This was his personal time until noon tomorrow.

An hour later he was finally exhausted enough to consider renting a room for the rest of the night but first he needed to heed the call of nature before making his escape. He managed to slur his excuses to his new friends and stagger outside to find a secluded enough location. As he leaves he passes another male returning and who paused long enough to rake appreciative eyes down is form. Lafou was drunk enough at that point to grin back happily and shoot the obviously alpha male a flirtatious wink as he stumbles/sashay past. He makes it to his destination and nearly passes out in relief once finished but stumbles a little less wobbly back towards the tavern. He is coming back around the corner to re-enter the building when a hand reaches from the shadows and pulls him within. He is alarmed at first but in his hazy mind, the thick scent of alpha male penetrates long enough to stir up some lingering hormones from his unsatisfied heat. The other male he recognized as being the one he flirted with on his way out quickly had him pinned to a wall and a hard mouth covers his own. The kiss is rough and sloppy. They both taste of strong ale. His hands are pinned in one large meaty fist and a thick thigh shoved between his legs. All he could think were short phrases like "no", "please", "wrong alpha", "finally", "stop", "harder", "not yet", "more"... His mind was locked in conflict but his body seemed to have a mind of its own and it was singing its enjoyment at the alpha's attention. Seeking more of the friction created by his rocking on the limb rub between his thighs. The bittersweet ache building within drew breathy moans from him that seemed to please the larger male who growled his approval and roughly met each of Lafous' thrust with his own as he mouthed marks into Lefou's neck that didn't break the skin but would definitely linger for several days. He was too far gone at that point to protest that though and after only a minute or two both are panting their completion into the warm summer night. They were lucky it was a new moon and no one else stumbled onto their activities. The encounter ended as quickly as it began though. The alpha stepped back and shot the now debauched Lafou a friendly wink before striding off into the night and disappearing.  
Lafou doesn't recall how he made it back into the tavern and into a room but he woke the next morning feeling vaguely guilty, a little dirty, but ultimately rather pleased with himself. At least he now knew that he was desirable to some alphas… if not the alpha he desired. He felt a resurgence of hope that if he never could be with the man he truly loved then perhaps someday he could find someone who would love him for him. He could never truly give anyone his heart. That was already a done deal but he didn't have to be alone forever. Someday he would reveal his secret to Gaston though and let him make the final decision as he's always done for anything important in his life.

When he finally made it back to his regiment, he was still hungover and the men kept looking at him with looks of bewilderment and shock. Gaston was the worst. At first he seemed confused and grill Lefou for hours about what he'd been up to (especially after seeing the marks on his neck) but then got quiet when Lafou snapped at him in a rare display of temper. The week that followed was one of the calmest he's ever experienced after a heat week. Gaston seemed to avoid him like the plague and piled his plate with whatever duties he could think up. Keeping him so busy that all interactions were brief and professional. The war ended two years later and they were both released with honors. Lafou was shocked when Gaston suggested they return home and see how our families were fairing. Lafou was happy to oblige but uncertain what would happen now. He still wasn't ready to reveal his secret and still questioned how Gaston would react to what he was let alone be open to anything more. And more was something Lafou's mind was turning to more and more since the final orders were given that the war was over.  
He was leaving hell. But would he be able to enter heaven?

Notes: Begging for comments... even criticisms and critiques are welcome. I'm sure there are some mistakes so please point them out so i can correct them. I don't have a beta so I'm at my reader's mercy. I can't improve without help :D


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